Mano Menezes appears to be under a lot of pressure these days surely it isn't
because he's only the national coach of Brazil, a country with 194 million other
talking heads? Earlier this week, Menezes met up with the U-17 'selecao feminina' (you can call
them Brasil's futbolitas!
verrückt!! There's nothing quite like a goofy footballer pretending to be an overzealous
fan and you can count on Germany and Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller to do it! As
the Euro 2012 approaches, the German National Team have been hard at work rolling out campaigns to
drum up home support, launching new jerseys (ironically, it's back to 1972′s away green kit!
Welcome to the Friday Crackovia Club, where it's always a party in
here before the weekend! Of course, Crackovia is one of the most craziest football
sketch shows from Catalonia and this week was all about Barcelona's quest
to slow down Madrid using some insane dressing room rituals.
Brazilian Formula 1 Driver, Bruno Senna (nephew of the great Ayrton Senna) recently met up with
his fellow countryman and sportsman, Kaka, in Jerez. Of course, what else is there to do when you
meet a F1 driver? You try his helmet! / via Twitter
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Buenas! The realists and statisticians among you won't be surprised that Barcelona
defeated the very loveable Valencia 2-0 last night. But as it seems, Madrid are
frontrunners to win the La Liga, so el Blaugranas will be hoping to take home their 26th
Spanish Cup title title.
It's now officially four crucial months to the Euro 2012 and following Fabio
Capello's resignation last night, England has no manager to lead them to glory! That's
exactly what Jack Wilshere groaned about ("Euro's is just around the corner
and we have no manager?
Buon giovedi.... there's nothing quite like winning at the San
Siro if you're an Italian team, is there? Just ask Juventus, who weren't
even playing in front of their home fans in Turin and danced to a 2-1 victory last
night!
There's only so much you can do when your mum is Victoria Beckham - dress up in the finest
designer wear for New York Fashion Week! / via Studio Press
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Pep Guardiola took a leaf out of Bastian Schweinsteiger's
Basketball Book over the week and watched a game with his children Marius and Maria (above). Of
course, the only game on his mind tonight is Barcelona's Copa del Rey semi-final against
Valencia when his newly crowned "Laureus World Team of the Year" take
them on in the Nou Camp.
There's something beautifully eerie about Arsenal's Emirates stadium when it experiences a night
of snowfall. It almost looks like a scene out of the Twilight Zone and the colour
of the sky just takes you to a different place. What are these goose pimples? Bring back
November, please!
Welcome to Offbeat Wednesday, where we bring you the wacky and fun side of football! This week,
it's all about birthday celebrations. From Neymar's Birthday boat extravaganza in Brazil and Sara
Carbonero's birthday celebrations to Ronaldo's new Lamborghini, it was all about the
fiestas!
Brazil's wonder kid of the moment, Neymar, turned 20 over the weekend and what
better way to celebrate it than in true carioca style at a club?
Aupa Mirandes! They will play Bilbao in the leg of the second semi-final tonight, and let's hope
that they'll bring more smiles to the faces of these chicos!
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Juventus will be facing Milan tomorrow in the Coppa Italia and unfortunately for both teams,
they will not be getting a taste of the Ibrahimedic. He slapped (or rather
'nudged') Napoli's Salvatore Aronica in the face on Sunday something you shouldn't
be surprised about, given Ibra's track record and is expected to serve a three-match ban.
Juventus will be facing Milan tomorrow in the Coppa Italia and unfortunately for both teams,
they will not be getting a taste of the Ibrahimedic. He slapped (or rather
'nudged') Napoli's Salvatore Aronica in the face on Sunday something you shouldn't
be surprised about, given Ibra's track record and is expected to serve a three-match ban.
BESOS! Check out Argentinean club's Velez Sarsfield's
new jersey... which has kisses imprinted all over it! Interestingly, there is a cool concept behind
this. To celebrate their love for the club, Velez fans were invited to kiss the
jersey and have it published as part of the "My Love For Velez" campaign.
Meet one of football's unsung heroes - the workers who cleaned the pitch at half-time during
Inter Milan vs Palermo on Wednesday. Diego Milito scored a hat-trick in the second half, so their
efforts must have paid off! / via Daylife
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Feliz Futbolitinos! We kick off this weekend's edition with Santos'
studs Ganso and Neymar who were the centerpiece of the
selecao's latest national team kit unveiling yesterday. You all know that
Pele signed up to be on this but they couldn't find the right goalkeeping outfit
which said "O perfeito" (The Perfect One) for him.
"I'd rather be at Michel Telo's next concert than sit here answering your questions. By the way,
what colour does my hair look like under the light?" - Brazil's Marta at the FIFA Ballon d'Or
earlier last month!
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One of the perks of being a professional futbolito is obviously getting new cars sent to
your doorstep every season (listen up, AC Milan fans!) While the European elite get to drive their
shiny new Audis, Atletico Madrid's players received keys to our
favourite car of all time instead a Volkswagen Beetle!
Welcome to the Friday Crackovia Club, the comedy club which welcomes every
single one of you Futbolitinos! Of course, for the newbies, Crackovia is
the best football sketch show from Catalonia (you'd be hard pressed to find a better one).
We thought it'd be appropriate to spend a few minutes of today to send our thoughts and prayers
out to the families of Egypt's football tragedy last night. Contrary to popular
beliefs, we all know that football shouldn't be a matter of life and death. Lives can't be taken
away out of one's anger at the scoreline of a match.
Barcelona's Ibrahim Afellay, Pedro and Andres Iniesta enjoy a hike up the freezing mountains
with their physiotheraphist. Any colder and they'd be ninjas! / Photo via Pedro's twitter
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Que dulce! Valencia kept to their promise to the fans last night and
held Barca to a 1-1 draw with a 27th minute screamer from Jonas. Part of the promise was to play
their best and not lose in front of the home fans, so this result is significantly better than a
loss.
Fan violence in football can pave the way for devastating consequences sometimes and this was
exactly what happened in Egypt last night. At least 73 people
were killed after Al-Masry defeated Al-Ahly 3-1 at the Cairo stadium with more than
1,000 injured in the stampede.
Futbolitinos, the transfer deadline window is now shut! Seedy
agents all became instant millionaires when "under the table" deals were finalized yesterday,
including Coutinho's loan move from Inter Milan to Espanyol
(above).
There's nothing like the African Nations Cup - it's the World Cup of Costume Shops! (Photos via
Daylife)
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You're looking at Munich's Olympiastadion, which will be the host to the Women's
European Champions League Finale on May 17! The Olympiastadion was built for 1972 Olympics and it
also hosted the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final. You may not recognize it because none of the games from
the 2006 World Cup tournament were played there.
Welcome to Offbeat Wednesday, where we cover the wacky side of football! Today, read about the
German National Team's bizarre new campaign, Mourinho's Carpark 'Me Time', Harry Kewell's Tennis
Day Out and Guti's Holiday!
Now now, don't get all excited! You're not looking at the latest 80′s German pop band founded
by Lothar Matthäus, but it's close to the truth.
Santos striker Neymar dresses up in a King Kong costume as part of a video clip for Brazilian
singer, Alexandre Pires. Epic! / via EgO
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Que triste! It isn't a good week for fans of the US Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
league. The board announced it would be "suspending play" this year due to complex legal issues
involving a former club owner. This matters because some of the world's best female players ply
their trade there including Abby Wambach, Marta, Alex Morgan and
Hope Solo.
The buzz surrounding the Spanish Burgos province these days has been remarkable. They are of
course, home to Mirandes, the Spanish third-division team that have made it to the
semi-finals of the Copa del Ray! Mirandes will meet Athletic Bilbao tonight at
their modest 6,000-seater stadium, which was expanded yesterday to accommodate another 1,700
visiting fans.
There's a slim chance Carlos Tevez (in sparkier times above) will be joining
Samuel Eto'o's Russian playground, Anzhi, before the transfer
window closes at 12am tonight. But don't bank on it chicos! Milan, PSG and
Inter all held discussions with him in the past months and everyone basically snapped
their fingers and said "NO", except for Anzhi who're apparently willing to pay £15m for him.
Here's something you don't see everyday : Gabonese women carrying piles of chairs on their way
to watch a game during the African Cup of Nations
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It's hard to take Pele seriously these days with the quality of stories he's
been sharing with the children at your local playground. The Brazilian legend who hates
Maradona and would never give him a "lift on a rainy day" (thankfully
Kun's got that problem sorted) has attempted to go back on the "Cuando
Messi" saga.
You can argue that everything Barca does these days is being scrutinized or subject to unfair
criticism. But it's hard to deny the club's latest tribute to a journalist who passed away and
spent his life reporting on the club. That's affectionate dedication for you!
Last week prior to the club's normal press conference, first-team players Xavi, Puyol, Valdés
and Iniesta along with Pep Guardiola observed a silent tribute to Dani Montesinos, who formerly
worked for Spanish TV and Barca TV.
It wasn't exactly Premiership action over the weekend but it was still a
FA Cup Party out there, nonetheless! Arsenal, of course, deserve a round
of applause for springing back from two goals down to make it 3-2 against Aston
Villa yesterday.
Benvenuto amici! Here's a perfect photo demonstrating the unglamorous
side of football when you're on the pitch and it starts to rain. Believe us, it's absolutely
horrible. Poor Claudio Ranieri had to stay on and watch as his Inter boys fought
and sunk 0-1 to lowly Lecce at the Via del Mare stadium last night.
It's always a good idea to stand out from the crowd, especially in a sea of Hamburg-ers! / via
Reuters
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If you're heading to the bookstore this weekend, look out for Leo Messi on the
cover of the latest 'TIME' magazine (International Edition). When your face graces the cover of
TIME, you f**king MADE IT! Unfortunately, the lovely Yanks don't seem to
think a Messi cover is worthy of the USA edition.
Brazil's Internacional fans know what they're talking about when they mention D'Alessandro,
their talented playmaker once hailed as 'the next Maradona'. Unfortunately, Shanghai Shenhua are
coming in quick for him... so there isn't much time, chicas! / Photo via Gettyimages
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